


Bittersweet

by sweetcarolanne



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Candy, Childhood, Family, Gen, Halloween, School, TOT Treat, ToT: Chocolate Box
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 07:42:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8278108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetcarolanne/pseuds/sweetcarolanne
Summary: Hermione shows her classmates that the wizarding world does not have the monopoly on unusual candy!





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mlraven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlraven/gifts).



> Dear mlraven, this story was suggested by one of your awesome prompts and I hope you like it! It was lots of fun to write! And just in case you're wondering, the flavors of Muggle candy referred to actually exist in real life. I have tried some of them and love' em! :)
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters and am making no money from this story.
> 
> Many thanks to my beta who wishes to remain anonymous.

As Hermione’s parents were both dentists, they did not exactly approve of sweet treats, so such delicacies were few and far between in the Granger household. Hermione mostly agreed with her parents’ sensible (if somewhat dull) perspective, but there were exceptions. She had, for instance, grown intensely fond of the unusual confectionery favoured by her Great-Aunt Amelia. 

Her great-aunt was a veteran traveller and had wide-ranging, gourmet tastes in food, particularly in sweeter items. Consequently, the many gifts she sent to her great-niece from around the world, despite the frequent remonstrations from her nephew, Hermione’s father, mostly consisted of exotic and unusual sweets. And Hermione always looked forward to the packages that arrived at the Granger household, filled with the most interesting scents and flavours imaginable.

Candied flower petals, sour fruit-flavoured sweets and confections that fizzed or popped and crackled in the mouth were among the odd but delicious morsels that Hermione got to sample as soon as she was old enough to appreciate them. Her favourite treats out of all of them, however, were the many weird and wonderful varieties of chocolate that the fascinating old lady sent from far-flung places around the globe.

Hermione had tried chocolates with such piquant zests and essences as orange and geranium, banana, green tea, and goat cheese and pear, concocted into bars or delicious little rounded truffles of milk, dark or white chocolate. Some were an intriguing experience worth trying once, although they proved ultimately not to be to Hermione’s taste. And others, especially the ones with subtle floral and herbal hints, became something of a passion. 

When Hermione began her first year at Hogwarts, the parcels from Great-Aunt Amelia were as numerous and diverse as ever. Just before Halloween, a box had arrived, filled with the most tempting array of chocolate morsels Hermione had ever seen. And these tasted far different to anything else that she had ever tried, for they were savoury rather than sweet, laced with such spices as chilli and curry powder, lemon grass, peppercorns and sea salt.

When she offered some to her classmates, she was startled to discover that this was something the young wizards and witches had never tried before, despite their exposure to many weird and wonderful candies and other such treats.

“Ooh, these are spicy!” Lavender Brown had exclaimed after tasting one of the peppercorn truffles. “This one’s more like a pepper steak than a piece of chocolate!”

“Chocolate can often be used in savoury recipes,” Hermione pointed out airily. “I’ve heard of a chocolate sauce being used for chicken, or shavings of dark chocolate being added to chilli con carne.”

“I don’t think I’d like those very much, but I do like these!” Parvati Patil had declared, before devouring another lemon grass fondant.

Ron Weasley had merely muttered something about “know-it-alls” and “show-offs”, but he was more than happy to help himself to more of Hermione’s unusual but delicious offerings.

When all the chocolate had been eaten, Hermione reflected that its bitter-sweetness and the feelings that brought up. Sharing it had not seemed to bring her any closer to the other children, as she had hoped it would. And although being at Hogwarts was an exciting adventure, she found herself longing to see her family again – not only the generous Great-Aunt Amelia, but her parents and other Muggle relatives.

Despite their strangeness on the tongue, the chocolates tasted of, and reminded Hermione of, the comforts of home.


End file.
